Describe a time when two department heads each insisted that their campaign initiative was the top priority for your team, but you had limited resources. How did you decide which to prioritize and how did you communicate your decision?

Situation

In my previous role as a marketing supervisor at a consumer goods company, our regional sales director pushed for an immediate in-store activation to counter a competitor's promotion, while the brand manager simultaneously demanded a full digital awareness campaign to support a new product launch. Both projects landed on my team's plate in the same week with only one dedicated designer and one copywriter available.

Task

I needed to choose which initiative to prioritize first without alienating either senior stakeholder, and ensure both could be executed sequentially with the available resources.

Action

I called separate meetings with each department head to understand the business impact, asking them to articulate the revenue at stake and the cost of delay. I then brought the data together in a brief email to both, summarizing: the in-store activation would directly protect $150K in monthly sales from competitor poaching, while the digital campaign supported a launch three weeks later. I proposed we finish the in-store materials within 5 days, then pivot fully to the digital campaign. To preempt conflict, I suggested the brand manager could soft-launch teasers via social in the meantime using a templated post series I'd approve. Both leaders agreed because the logic was data-driven and I offered a partial immediate solution to the delayed party.